Above and Beyond: The Eighth Field Season at Betty’s Hope Plantation, Antigua, West Indies

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For eight summers, Dr. Georgia Fox has accompanied her CSU, Chico anthropology students to the West Indies island of Antigua to participate in an ongoing excavation of a 17th-Century sugar plantation. Each “dig” has revealed more about what life was like on such a plantation – and has provided Chico State students with first-hand experience in archaeological mapping and surveying, field excavation, and other aspects of archaeological field work. During the three summers of 2007-2009, remains of the Great House were revealed; in 2010, more of the Great House and the Kitchen; in 2011-2012, the rest of the Kitchen; in 2013, the Rum Distillery; and in 2014, the rest of the Rum Distillery and part of the Slave Quarters area. Plans have been made for another trip in 2015. There is a visitors center/museum on the site, and the discoveries by Dr. Fox’s students have contributed to visitors’ understanding of the site’s history.